Fugazi - First Demo

Written by GE 138.

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Fugazi's first cassette demo is the stuff of Legend. Before Bandcamp, before the Internet, the way bands got you into what they were playing was by handing you a cheap high speed dub of a cassette with the bands songs on them, and if you were feeling generous, or had enough beer money to spare, you'd kick down a few bucks for their effort and for gas money to help get the band to their next gig, and Fugazi, believe it or not, were at one time just another hard working band starting out, a group of friends getting together and playing music just for the fuck of it. If you, like me, were lucky enough to see Fugazi in the early days, before they even had a record out, then you might of gotten a copy of the 9 song demo they were handing out and that people were dubbing copies of and giving away to any one with an ear for the amazing. All the songs on the demo would eventually see the light of day on various later releases throughout Fugazi's musical career, and now, for the first time ever officially, all 11 of the songs that were recorded at that January 1988 session are being released, with all of it sounding incredible, and as a whole it gives you a fascinating glimpse into the intricate inner workings of this crucial band's musical school of thinking. Of course, the songs on here are nothing like the final versions you're familiar with, some more so than others, and to see what made the cut and what didn't musically is just seductive stuff. Some of the songs take on a more eerie, Goth heavy dub type of sound (And The Same), while others are more slinky (Song #1), more noisy (Badmouth), more Punk (Break-In), and more eccentric (Merchandise), although whether planned out or accidental is up to anyone's interpretation. One song on here was used for a compilation (The Word), and it sounds like it could of come off the Repeater album, and the 1 song that has never seen the light of day before that's on here, Turn Off Your Guns, is some pretty adventurous stuff, sounding like later-era Fugazi at it's best. I fucking LOVE listening to shit like this, because I too record every practice session of every band I play with, and that's what all this stuff is, just the sound of a band finding it's feet, testing musical structures, adhering to, and sometimes forgetting, the count, changes, whatever. This was recorded in some guys basement, if you can believe that, and like I said earlier, it sounds fantastic - both sonically and musically. Some bands release demo tracks as bonus material whenever they're trying to flog that dead horse they once called a vital musical career one more time for some much needed cash, and it's very rare that the demo tracks are worth listening to, because let's face it, demo tracks are never really meant to be heard by anybody but the band members, but in the case of Fugazi, the demo tracks are so strong, so interesting, so insightful and powerful, that they deserve a stand alone release like Dischord Records has given them, and I'm really looking forward to the next release like this to come out. I could see a whole 'Fugazi Demos' series of releases coming out of this, and I wouldn't have a problem with that one bit. Nope! :-)

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Available in every format imaginable from the fine folks at Dischord Records, and you can click here to purchase this release from them directly, as it's just the better, more "Punk Rock" thing to do. Damn the Man! Support Local Business!! :-)

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